I think the squad is as good as any other in a pretty poor league,maybe wigans slightly stronger when fully fit. If we had a coach who gave the players the best chance to play well a lot of them wouldnt look as poor as they do at present....I wouldnt swap squads with castleford but id swap coaches in a heartbeat and if that happened id be confident of challenging for trophys.

Again, I did. Whilst all you've done is regards lines used season and season that got proved foolish.

Then do me a favour an quote the bit you are referring to as in my old age I clearly can't see it.

Hull pack were too much for Leeds as game wore on, particularly watts and minichello.

Hull were very good. Leeds pretty average overall. Hull stopped Cuthbertson well and Leeds had little to offer ball in hand as game wore on.

Be interesting to see how rest of year plays out but we look too one-paced and with too many average players to threten at year end for mine..

FWIW I think McDermott was right to rest them last week, big test v Wigan on friday

There may not be ready made replacements but you at least A.Try to recruit quality & B.Adapt a gameplan to suit the squad you do have.
Wrt 2006 today was easily on a par if not worse imo.
You say lets get over it now Sinfield & JP have gone that's fine but it's becoming clearer that others need to move on aswell on & off the field.
This "New Era" is going to need a fresh approach fresh ideas & better recruitment.

While I get the argument about Sinfield et al putting in some dire performances back in the day, the main difference between then and now is that that side had shown itself capable of beating any other on its day. The current one has yet to do that and indeed may never do so.

On the day Hull were very good they executed a perfect game plan, two bits of Hall brilliance flattered Leeds on the score sheet.

As Printer has said one game doesn't make a season but it did highlight a few things.

This team hasn't won a crucial game since the GF of 2015 - is it actually capable?

The forwards - Ward apart - look slow cumbersome and ineffective - Hull easily neutralised them and they ran out gas after 35 minutes despite having a week off. The idea that JJB should play on until he decides he has had enough is flawed.

The team needs some attacking structure - if McDermott cannot coach attack then either he goes or he brings in an assistant who can. Moon at half back does work against a defence that keeps its shape

Watkins is criminally under used - what a player he is - Briscoe is criminally over used - he should not play again until he develops the ability to catch the ball.

Based on that performance it would suggest Leeds' position in the table is not a true reflection of the current state of play

On the other side both Hull and Wigan - cant see Salford getting close - will have the distraction of the cup so the super 8s might be easier - Friday night will be an interesting night

McDermott said in a post match interview, "I don't think we were too far off today...."

In some respects, I think he has a point, we no longer have the pace or guile to damage a well structured defence. However, our defence was woeful at times, there was no structure on attack, the attacking line was far too shallow and the situation with Briscoe was laughable. All thee things lie at the coaches door.

Printer, you ask what the difference isbetween some of our previous inept displays and yesterday? Well, there isn't one, same coach, the difference being we had better players to turn it around.

First off well done to Hull no complaints from me the better team won and i wish them all the best for the final they have earned it.

As far as we are concerned i thought our pack for the first half hour matched them but it was a fatal mistake from Mac not to take Briscoe off following that first drop.the warning signs were there and Hull were clearly going to have an easy outlet there were he to be on the field which they rightly took advantage of. Conceding the try on the half time hooter, which was a mile forward by the way but there you go, killed the game. Watkins had some good moments but again is under used and we again the world class finishing of Hall but apart from those fleeting moments we fell apart in the second half and Hull bullied us at times to be fair and were clinical i think they would have done what the did to us to most teams playing like that.

Anyway, we have to dust ourselves down quickly and get back on the horse, we are still bang in the hunt for OT.

So you could say that the problem is therefore down to the players